The former Indian captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has made an unpublicized investment in Garuda Aerospace, India’s top drone-as-a-service (DaaS) supplier, which is headquartered in Chennai.
Dhoni would also serve as the firm’s face and brand ambassador. The funding is actually part of a gateway deal leading up to a $30 million Series A financing, which creator Agnishwar Jayaprakash announced will close by the end of July at a capitalization of $250 million.
Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder of Garuda, said, “Dhoni has decided to join us as an investor and brand ambassador.
“He has seen what we are trying to achieve, and he completely believes in our vision. We couldn’t have asked for a better ambassador and partner.
“We are closing our $30-million Series A round by the end of July, which will value our company at $250 million. This is the largest ever Series A round for any drone company. Since our prime minister inaugurated Drone Mahotsav, we have been receiving a lot of interest.”
These drones have been built for 38 different uses, including cartography, sanitation, agricultural spraying, security, distribution, and monitoring.
Garuda has also entered the defensive system industry, receiving a substantial order from the Ministry of Defense for 33 anti-drone frameworks.
Elon Musk acknowledged the company’s operational prowess on Twitter last year.
Dhoni is one of the highest-paid cricketers in the country, it’s important emphasizing that a significant portion of his fortune stems from his non-cricket business pursuits. With investments in 7InkBrews, Khatabook, SportsFit World, as well as other businesses. MSD also has a major stake in the Indian Super League‘s (ISL) Chennaiyin FC.